1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to a media element for use in a vehicle wash process. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a media element for a vehicle wash component that provides significantly more absorbent capabilities than existing media elements and reduces the cost to perform the vehicle drying operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Vehicle wash systems generally include a drying system for removing water from a vehicle exterior after completion of the washing and rinsing processes. There are two general types of drying systems employed as part of conventional vehicle wash systems.
The first type of drying system includes one or more blower assemblies located in the vehicle wash system after the wash and rinse functions have been completed. The blower assemblies impart a fluid force on the vehicle exterior surface in an attempt to forceably remove any moisture from the vehicle exterior surface prior to the vehicle exiting the vehicle wash facility. This type of drying system requires a large air velocity to remove the water, which can create undesirable noise. Also, achieving the necessary large air velocity requires a significant amount of energy as well as a large amount of space, which are both at a premium in typical vehicle wash systems.
The second type of drying system utilizes one or more vehicle wash components having a plurality of media elements that contact the vehicle exterior to remove excess water after the vehicle has been fully washed and rinsed. The media elements are typically made from a cloth material and are designed to remove water both by absorption as well as by pushing or slapping the water off of the vehicle exterior as the media elements move. The vehicle wash components are generally a miter curtain or a rotary brush that translates the media elements with respect to the surface of the vehicle. This type of drying system is generally limited by the absorption capabilities of the media elements. Additionally, the vehicle wash components are generally operated at high speeds to increase the removal of excess water from the vehicle exterior as well as to help remove water from the media elements themselves and thereby improve their absorption capabilities. However, a drying system that causes the media elements to contact a vehicle surface at high speeds is undesirable for many vehicle owners due to the propensity for scratching, micro-hazing and/or other damage to the vehicle exterior that can result from contact with media elements.
While existing drying systems operate satisfactorily, they are not capable of removing enough of the excess water from the vehicle. Consequently, conventional vehicle wash systems typically employ a hand drying process after the vehicle has exited the wash system to manually remove any excess water from the vehicle exterior. The process generally employs soft towels, such as terrycloth towels. While this satisfactorily removes the excess water that remains on the vehicle exterior, it is can be a time consuming and labor intensive process that increases the cost to the vehicle wash operator and the consumer. Also, many vehicle wash facilities do not have enough space to perform this secondary drying process.
It would thus be desirable to provide a drying system for a vehicle wash component that overcomes these disadvantages with existing drying systems.